AN: Hi! Thank you to ilikeballoons, Mili Maddox Dixon and galwidanatitud for favouriting and following this story. Please don't hesitate to leave me a review.
~ Chapter 3 ~
Daryl sat down on the picnic bench, whilst Carol hung up the washing. Everyone was waking up and slowly making their way around camp. He looked around at everyone, assessing their every move. Carol looked over and flashed him a weak smile, which he faintly returned.
Lori walked out of her tent and she walked over to them. She greeted Carol with a smile and then Dale walked on over and sat down opposite Daryl.
"Have you heard anything?" Lori asked and Dale shook his head.
"I hope she's gonna' be okay," Carol said and Lori nodded in agreement.
"What are ya on about?" Daryl asked.
"Didn't you hear?" Dale replied.
"Obviously not," He grumbled.
"It's my fault," Lori sat down next to Dale and Carol took a seat next to Daryl. "There was a walker in the well and we decided to get it out. Glenn didn't wanna' go down there, so I made Violet do it. I told her I'd consider forgiving her for shooting Carl, so she agreed to do it, but then the pump broke and the rope began to fall. She started screaming at the top of her lungs and she smashed her head off the cobblestone. Once we got her up she collapsed into Maggie's arms, as far as we know she hasn't woken up yet."
"You made her go down there?" Daryl questioned. "Wasn't a wise ass move, was it?"
"I didn't mean to. I regret making her do it now, I know she didn't mean to shoot Carl, but he's my son-"
"So, you what? Thought you'd send another kid down a well with a walker down at the bottom," He got up from the bench and stormed off.
...
"How does it feel being eighteen?" Violet's dad asked from the front of the car.
"No difference, just the fact that I can do a lot more things, then when I was seventeen," Violet replied and her mom laughed.
"You need to start looking on the brighter side of life," Her mom explained and Violet rested her head against the window.
"How long is Oscar at his friend's house?" She asked.
"Once we've finished shopping, we've got to go and collect him," Her dad replied.
"Good, I promised I teach him a new card trick," She smirked and her mom looked back at her.
"Honestly, you'd think you were a gambler with the amount of card tricks you know," She smiled and Violet rolled her eyes.
"You know I learn my card tricks from Mr Tine next door," Violet explained.
"I know you do, and please don't take up gambling," She said.
"Mom, I'm not going to become a gambler," Violet snickered.
They paused at the red light and her mom turned away from her. Violet looked out at the people walking along the sidewalk and she smiled. She missed her brother and she couldn't wait to see him. Even though Oscar was only nine, you rarely saw her without him. It's like they're twins, but just born years apart.
The light changed to green and Violet looked over at her dad and she saw the headlights of the car.
"DAD! LOOK OUT!"
Violet shot up in a blanket of sweat. She hissed out in pain and brought her hand to her head. She felt the stitches on her forehead and flinched when she touched the gash. She looked around to see she was in her room. The window was open and it looked to be early morning.
"How long have I been asleep?" Violet wondered and she threw back the covers. She was still in her dirt stained clothes and she stumbled over to the dresser, ignoring the dizziness. She pulled the draws opened and pulled out a clean tank top and some jeans. She made her way back over to the bed and got changed quickly.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had to say, Daryl was right. She did look like a kid. She looked like a kid, who had been rolling around in a mud pit. Violet rubbed at the dirt on her face and then she took a closer look at her forehead. The stitches were on the right side of her face, but she had a lot of bruising on the other side. She didn't realize she'd hit her head that hard.
Violet walked out of her room and she looked down the empty hallway. She couldn't hear any voices, so she guessed they were all outside. She walked down the stairs and out of the door. She saw them all walking around camp and then she saw Andrea, Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Daryl talking around the bonnet of the yellow car.
Violet walked off the porch and made her way over to them. The dizziness flooded her body and she paused by one of the trees, trying to regain her composure. She pushed herself back off the tree and made her way over to the car.
"Alright everyone's getting new search grids today," Rick dictated and none of them realized she was standing there. "She made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found. She might have gone east from there."
Jimmy appeared behind her and he nodded his head, then he walked over to them and stood by Rick.
"I'd like to help," Jimmy said. "I know the area pretty well."
"So do I," Violet spoke up and she leant against the car. Rick looked over at her and he stared at the stitched gash on her head.
"Are you sure Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked.
"Yes," Violet lied through gritted teeth.
"Anyone could've been holdin' up in that farmhouse," Shane said from inside the car.
"Anyone includes Sophia," Violet hissed and Shane glared at her.
"I saved your life yesterday, be more respectful about who you're talking to!" Shane snapped back.
"Excuse me, I bet you were up there telling them all to let go of the fuckin' rope," She cursed and Shane narrowed his eyes at her. She looked away quickly and the fast movement made her head spin. Andrea grabbed her arm and she smiled at her.
"You sure you're up for this? You hit your head pretty hard yesterday." Andrea said and Violet nodded.
"I'll be fine," She assured her.
"Hey, I'll borrow a horse, go check out the ridge," He pointed on the map. "Good birds eye view. I'll spot her."
"Good idea," T-Dog smirked. "Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too."
"Chupacabra?" Rick raised an eyebrow at T-Dog.
"You never heard that," Dale said walking up next to Daryl. "The first night in camp. Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminded him of the time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra," Dale passed Rick a gun and Daryl nodded along with the story. Jimmy laughed from next to Violet and she hit his arm.
"What you laughin' at jackass," Daryl growled.
"So you believe in a blood suckin' dog?" Jimmy asked and Daryl shrugged his shoulders.
"He ain't lying," Violet spoke up and everyone turned to look at her. "I've seen the Chupacabra too."
"Seriously?" T-Dog laughed.
"My baby brother and I were out in the woods and I saw it with my own eyes, but my baby brother scared it off," She explained.
"See, even she's seen it," Daryl muttered and there was a faint smile on his lips.
"Your pulling my leg aren't you?" Jimmy asked and Violet shook her head.
"I'm tellin' the truth," She retorted. "Daryl ain't lying."
Violet pushed herself off the car and she stumbled backwards, but Andrea caught her. She sent her a grateful smile and Shane tutted.
"You ain't going nowhere," Shane muttered.
"He's right you should get some more rest," Andrea said and Violet stepped out of her grasp.
"Fine," She grumbled and stormed off.
...
Violet watched everyone walk off down the dirt road to explore some more of the farm. She rocked backwards on the rocking chair and she played with her knife. Beth came walking around the farm with the horse behind her. She stopped and looked over at her.
"I still think this is a bad idea. You need to rest," Beth explained.
"I'm only going out for a while," Violet replied and she got up from the rocking chair and walked down to pet the horse.
"Okay, but don't be long. Daddy's gonna' kill me when he finds out I let you go," She said and Violet smiled at her.
"Thank you Beth," She climbed up onto the horse and clicked her tongue, urging the horse to turn around. "I'll see you in a bit."
The horse took off and she went in the opposite direction of everyone else. She was going to head off into the woods and try to find Sophia. She knew that her head wasn't in the right condition, but she wanted to help out. If it could have a possibility of earning forgiveness from Lori and Rick, then she would do what she could.
Violet patted the horse's side and nudged him to turn into the small gap through the trees. She slowly made her way in and out of the trees, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of movement.
She remembered all of the times her and Oscar played in the woods by their house. Her mom and dad never knew, because they went when they were both asleep. She'd sneak out with Oscar and they'd go down to the creek and play. Things were always calm and relaxed, for once she felt like she wasn't a disappointment to her parents, she was making her brother happy.
It was times like this, which she wished she'd stayed in Florida. After her parents had died her Uncle Frank came to collect both of them and took them down to his house in Florida. She didn't get along with any of the people there and that was when the drifting started. She wanted to take Oscar with her, but she knew that, that kind of lifestyle wouldn't be good for him. She went from living in hostels, to living on the streets and living in old motels. It wasn't a good lifestyle, but she'd finally ended up in Atlanta, and she was offered a job. But then of course her luck ran out and the outbreak started and she never even got to have her first job.
The horse began to neigh and buck its legs. In one quick movement the horse threw her off its back and ran off. She landed on her back and lost her breath for a second. She groaned, holding her hand to her head.
"Fuck," She muttered and she rolled over and pushed herself up onto her feet. She stumbled about for a second and suddenly the ground was taken from under her feet and she slammed down hard onto a concrete slope and began to fall.
She felt something pop in her shoulder and she slid all the way down and crashed into the water at the bottom. She choked on the water and she pushed herself up with her good arm and coughed out all the water in her mouth. Her throat burning from the water.
She heard a groan and she looked across the creek she'd landed in and she saw someone lying down on the other side. She swayed on her feet, then pulled out her knife and she winced at the movement of her shoulder. She looked at it and she knew it was dislocated.
Violet walked closer to the person and when she saw the ripped sleeves, she knew straight away who it was. She ran over and landed on her knees by Daryl. She saw the blood seeping through her shirt on his side and the cuts and bruises all over his body.
"Merle..." He muttered and Violet furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Daryl...Hey, hello?" She placed her hand on Daryl's chest and shook him. "Daryl?"
"Screw you..." He murmured. Violet reached out with her bad arm and she hissed out in pain. She reached out and touched her shoulder and felt the dislocated joint.
"Definitely dislocated," She whispered. Violet awkwardly slipped off her jacket and she laid it out in a sling and wrapped up her arm, tying a knot around her neck. She looked back down at Daryl and she lifted up the bottom of his shirt and looked at his wound.
"Daryl?" She shook him gently and then she looked around to check if there were any walkers nearby. Violet looked at the arrow that was in his side and she cringed. "Ouch, bet that hurt."
The crunching of leaves forced her to look away from Daryl and a walker came towards her. She pulled an arrow from Daryl's crossbow and got to her feet. She held it with her free hand and slowly began to circle it. The dumb walker began to swing its arms around and Violet lifted up her leg and kicked it in the stomach. The walker fell to the ground and she stepped over it and stabbed the walker in the skull.
"What the fuck are ya doin' here?" Violet looked over her shoulder and saw Daryl was struggling to sit up.
"No, thank you for comin', oh have you hurt your shoulder, are you okay?" She sarcastically remarked and he grunted in response. "C'mon let's get you back to Hershel."
Violet walked over to him and held out her arm. He stared at it and then looked into her eyes.
"I don't have a disease, unless you want me to leave and let you find your own way back?" Violet suggested and Daryl growled in a reply. He reached out and clamped his hand around her arm and she pulled him up onto his feet. He immediately crippled forward gripping his side.
Daryl reached out and began to pull on the arrow. Violet's eyes widened and she quickly pulled his hands away from the arrow. She looked up at him with fiery eyes.
"Are you an idiot?" She asked. "You can't pull it out!"
"Ye' I can," He started to pull it out and she winced at the noise it made. Soon after she heard the clattering of the arrow hitting the floor and she looked back over at him. He grabbed one of his torn sleeves and wrapped it around his waist, putting pressure on the wound.
"What the hell happened to ya?" He asked, nodding towards her arm in the sling.
"I fell, something popped in my shoulder," She explained. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing," He muttered, walking over to his crossbow and picking it up. He then walked over to the walker and pulled his arrow out of its skull.
"Wait, did you fall too?" Violet asked with a laugh and he looked back at her with a scowl. "You did didn't you?"
"Hey! It ain't funny kid!" He snapped and she glared at him.
"Quit callin' me kid!" She snapped back.
"Your nineteen...Still a goddamn kid," He muttered, barging past her.
Violet saw he was struggling to walk properly and she let out a sigh, then ran over to his side. She reached out and grabbed his arm and he flinched, moving away from her.
"Don't touch me!" He hissed.
"I'm just tryin' to help, you're struggling-"
"You've got a busted shoulder, a fat lotta' good your gonna' be to me," He carried on up the slope and Violet rolled her eyes.
"I was just tryin' to help you out," She muttered.
"I don't need no help," He carried on walking ahead and Violet began to struggle herself. The throbbing from her shoulder was becoming excruciating and every time she moved it she cried out in pain.
She looked at the back of Daryl's head and her mouth formed into a straight line. She was annoyed with his immaturity. He can stand there and call her a kid, but he's the one refusing any help from her. She was just trying to be nice and help him out.
They both carried on in silence, Daryl grunted and hissed in pain occasionally, but Violet kept her mouth closed, not wanting to let him know that she was in pain. He'd more than likely tell her to suck it up and stop acting like a child, which was pretty ironic coming from him.
Daryl paused in front of her and Violet stopped behind him. He leaned forward and she walked up next to him, placing a gentle hand on his back. He shot up and her hand fell from his back.
"I'm just tryin' to help," Violet said.
"I don't need no help."
"Fine, okay. Have it your way, redneck," She raised an eyebrow at him and he carried on walking ahead, completely ignoring her.
Daryl came out of the woods and Violet leaned against one of the trees, taking a moment to rest. She looked up and saw Rick, Glenn, Shane and T-Dog running over. Rick held out his gun aiming it a Daryl.
"Is that Daryl?" Glenn asked and Violet stepped out from the trees. She finally understood that they thought he was a walker. He sure looked like it.
"It's the third time you've pointed that thing at my head," Daryl said to Rick and Rick lowered his gun.
"What happened?" T-Dog asked, looking past Daryl and at Violet.
BANG!
Violet jumped back and she watched Daryl fall to the floor. Her eyes widened and she ran over.
"NO!" Rick screamed, looking back across the field and then he ran over. "NO!"
"DARYL!" Violet yelled shaking his body.
Daryl's eyes opened and he reached out and touched the side of his head. Shane crouched down and grabbed his arm and Rick grabbed his other. Daryl's head rolled forward and he fell unconscious.
Dale and Andrea came sprinting across the field and over to them.
"Oh my god!" Andrea yelled. "Oh my god, is he dead!?"
"He's unconscious, it grazed his head," Rick panted and Violet looked at Daryl with worry in her eyes.
"Is he going to be okay?" Violet asked.
"He'll be fine," Rick grunted and everyone moved across the field.
"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog said and everyone stopped and turned around to face him. Violet didn't even see that he had been carrying a doll.
"C'mon, we need to get him inside," Violet said and everyone carried on across the field.
They were met by Hershel and everybody else and Shane and Rick carried Daryl inside the farmhouse.
"Take him upstairs," Hershel ordered and he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. "Put him down on the bed. I'll be there in a minute."
"Let me help," Violet said and Hershel shook his head, grabbing his bag of medical things.
"You've got an injured arm-"
"I've just dislocated my shoulder. Let me help," Violet followed Hershel up the stairs and then Hershel stopped in front of her.
"Go and see Patricia, she'll sort your shoulder out," He ordered. "And do as you're told. I'm still disappointed that you left without tellin' me! Bethy can't lie to save her life, she told me as soon as I came in the house."
"No, Hershel let me help," She chased after him and then when they came to the room Daryl was in. Hershel slammed the door in her face. "Great," She muttered and she spun around on her heel.
"I knew it was a bad idea to let you go. Daddy's not very happy with you," Beth leaned against her bedroom door.
"Where's Patricia?" She asked.
"I know how to pop it back in place," Beth held out her hand and Violet reached out and grabbed it. She slipped off the makeshift sling. Beth grabbed a hold of her arm and Violet's eyes widened.
"Hey!" She squeaked and Beth held up her arm and jolted it in a quick movement. "BETH! WHAT THE HELL!?" Violet screeched and then a pop echoed around. Beth smiled at her and Violet squirmed uncomfortably. The door to the room Daryl had been taken into opened and Hershel stuck his head out.
"Is everything okay?" He asked and they both nodded and Hershel went back inside.
"Don't ever do that again," Violet mumbled.
"It was over in a few seconds," Beth smirked.
...
Everyone, excluding Daryl sat down at the table. The clattering of the cutlery was all that could be heard. Violet looked across the table at Shane and he kept sending her the odd glance and it made her feel uncomfortable. Patricia had made her a sling to keep her arm in, but the fabric had started to itch the back of her neck so she'd taken it off. Her shoulder still ached, but painkillers would ease the pain.
Violet looked down the table at Hershel who was looking around at everyone. Violet understood that Hershel was annoyed with the trouble everyone was getting into, he enjoyed a peaceful lifestyle, even if that meant in the middle of the apocalypse.
Violet smiled over at Carol and she returned it. Her attitude didn't seem to change about Daryl finding the doll, though to Violet, Carol didn't seem to show much emotion, but she understood that. Her daughter was missing and she didn't have a right to tell her to show emotion.
Violet looked at all the food on the table and then she thought about Daryl. She grabbed the napkin and wiped the residue of her food off her plate and she made sure it was sparkly and clean. Then she began to dish some more food onto it.
"Don't be so ungrateful, put that back!" Shane snapped and Violet glared at him.
"For your information this is for Daryl!" She hissed back and he shoveled some more food into his mouth and then she carried on dishing some more food onto the plate. Once it was full enough. She nodded over at Hershel and he nodded back, letting her know she could leave. She made her way out of the room and then made her way to the room Daryl was in. She knocked on the door and there was a grunt in response.
Violet stepped inside and Daryl looked over at her. He had the bandage wrapped around his head and he looked at the food in her hands.
"I brought you some food," Violet whispered.
"I ain't hungry," He replied, turning away from her.
"You need to eat," She said and she placed it down on the bedside table. She stood their staring down at him. He looked back over at her.
"Was there somethin' else?" He pushed and she shook her head.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," She admitted.
"I'm dandy," He growled.
"You know, I'd really appreciate a thank you, or a sorry," Violet rocked backwards on her heel and Daryl sat up.
"Why?"
"For helping you, saving you from a walker...and an apology for shouting at me and calling me a kid," She explained.
"I ain't apologizing for shit, kid," He snickered.
"There you go again! Quit callin' me that!" She yelled, stomping her foot.
"Your stoppin' your foot like a kid," He looked her up and down and she crossed her arms.
"Yeah, well I'd appreciate it if you stop. I don't like it," She said and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't ask you to talk to me," He replied and she looked back at him, with an ounce of shock in her eyes.
"Seriously? Fine, have it your way I won't talk to you anymore," Violet stormed out of the bedroom and she slammed the door behind her.
...
Violet stormed out of the farmhouse and she walked out into the dark night. She walked down the steps and rubbed her arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps. She looked around and then she saw the flickering light of a torch. She squinted her eyes and she saw a figure moving around by the barn. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Glenn, she looked back at the farmhouse and thought about going inside and telling Hershel, but everyone else was still in there.
She took off in a run across the grass and she ran through the gate and down the hill. She saw Glenn climbing up the ladder to the hayloft and Violet raced over. Glenn hadn't seen her and he carried on going up. She heard the trampling sound of footsteps and she turned around and saw Maggie running down the hill.
"Glenn!" Maggie shouted.
"Glenn!" Violet yelled and she began to climb up the ladder. She scurried along the old wooden platform and Maggie came up the ladder behind her. She ran inside and she saw Glenn shinning his torch down at the bottom of the barn. He was holding his hand to his mouth and coughing. He turned around and went to run off, but he froze when he saw them both standing there.
"You weren't supposed to see this," Maggie panted and Glenn looked between the both of them.